Sounding apparatus for holds of vessels



Patented Mar. l4, I899. H. B. JAGELS. SOUNDING APPARATUS .FOR HOLDS 0F VESSELS.

(Application filed Jan. 12, 1898) (No Model.)

. 4 Z3422 as? WITNESSES:

UNITE STAT S.

PATE T OFFICE.

HENRY onsai JA GELsoF PHILADELPHIA, P-ENNsYLvANIA.

.SOUNDINGAPPARATUS FOR HOLDS orivessens.

'srn'crnca'rron forming part of Letters Patent No. 621,251, aateemmn 14,

application he a 12,1898. Saris-1N6. seesaw. (No'motleh) To all whom it may concern: Be itknown that I, HENRY ROBERT J AGELS, of Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Im- 5" pli'ovements in Sounding Apparatus for the olds of Vessels, whereof the following is a specification, r'eference being bad to the accompanying drawings. 1 Hitherto vessels have been provided with a re removable plugupon the deck, giving access to the pump- 211 in which the suction-pipe leading from the pump extends to the bottom of the hold, 'When it is'desired to ascertain the depth of water in the hold, the aforesaid decklug ,is removed and a bar (usuallyprovided with a scale indicating; fractionscffeet) is manually low'e'redtotha bottom of-said well. Said bar when withdrawn indicates by the extent of its wet surface the depth of water in the well, and cons'equently in the hold with which said well communicates. The aforesaid operation is most diflicult to perform at the time it is most necessary-1'. e., during a storm. I 2 5 It is the object of my present invention to provide an automatic signaling apparatus which is primarily adjusted to the maximum depth ofbilge-water usually found in vessels under ordinary circumstances, said apparatus being so constructed that an, increase beyond the ordinary depth of said water shall 'lift a float, complete'an electric circuit, and thereby operate a signal located at any convenientpoint, whereby the attention of. the 5 person having control of the pumps may be attracted. f Such an arrangement is of obvious advantagein that it relieves the crew from the responsibility and labo'rincident to the operation of the ordinary apparatus above described and-prevents the accidental waterlogging. of the vessel by accumulation of bilge-water from' unknown leaks in the hold. In'the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows a convenient embodiment of my invention as applied to a vessel pump-well, the wiring connections for the signal being indicateddiagrammatically. Fig. 2 is a central sectional view of the electric switch operated by the rise of the float. Fig. 3 is a central sectional view of the coupling for the In said figures, A is a frame, preferably of wood. B is a bracket mounted upon said frame and adapted to support a switcheneohanism contained in a casing Cat the extremity of said bracket. Said switch mechanism is adapted to be operated as aforesaid by the float D,'the latter being proyided with a central stem .D' and being mounted for vertical reciprocation between brackets B and 1? upon said frame A. The lower bracket B is provided with a tubular leg b which rests upon the bottom of the well X and serves as an additional support for said bracket. Connection is made from the float-stem D to the switch mechanism in the casing C by means of the slide-rod E, which is mounted forre- *ci-procat-ionj in the stuffing-box o of said casing, being supported by the brackets B and B In order to facilitate the primary assembling of the partsin proper adjustment, I provide a coupling-sleeve F, adapted to connect and the slide-rod E, said sleeve being securely affixed to each of said members conveniently by pins, as shown in section in Fig. 3. To prevent the displace ment of the slide-rodE when for any reason said float issubsequently disconnected by removal of the pins of the coupling-sleeve, &c., I prefer to provide said rod with a collar 6, said collar serving to uphold said rod in its normal position by contact with the bracket B. Asshown in Fig. 1, the electric circuit aforesaid may comprise a battery G and suitable wiring connections H and H, connecting said battery with the signal I and the switch mech anism C. It is obvious that any convenient form of switch mechanism may be used, but I prefer that which is shown in section in Fig. 2, comprising a casing 0, wherein are mounted the terminals h and h of the respective wiring connections Hand H, which extend through the bushings c c in the cover 0 of said casing, connecting within the latter to said terminals, which are mounted upon the insulating-plate G secured to saidpover. The terminal h"is a resilient metal plate which normally occupiesthe position indicated in Fig.2, but'is adapted to be thrust into contact with the terminal h, and thus complete the electric circuit through the latter when the rod E is raised by the float D, up-

lifted by the increase of bilge-water, as afor said.

As shown in Fig. 2, a space X may normally exist between the upper extremity of said rod E and the lower face of the terminal h, so that the former may rise and fall acertain extent without closing the electric circuit to operate said signal I. hen, however, the water a; lifts the float upward, shifting the slide-rod E beyond the limit of its idle movement, the electric circuit is established by contact of the terminal h with the terminal h, and the signal I is operated, as aforesaid. I am aware that it is not broadly new to operate an electric signal by means of a switch limit myself to the precise construction of my invention whichI have shown and described, as it is obvious that various modifications maybe made therein without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim The combination with the pump-well of a vessel, of a frame secured to the wall of said well, a slide-rod mounted in said frame, a iloat mounted in said frame, a stem upon said float, a detachable coupling for said stem and said slide-rod, an electric switch mechanism mounted upon said frame, in alinement with said slide-rod, and an electric circuit conneeting' with said switch mechanism, and comprisinga source of electricityand a signal adapted to be operated by the movement of said switch mechanism, substantially as set forth.

HENRY ROBERT JAGELS.

\Vitnesses:

(J. H. EIMERMAN, A. E. PAIGE. 

